The Richard Sherman interview (or rant) that went viral is important for so many reasons. How simple 25-second sideline stand-up could evoke so many racial undertones is astonishing–even by 2014 standards–but proves that stereotypes are alive and well.

But what should we do to change that?

On “NewsOne Now,” panelists Clarence Page, Raynard Jackson, and Hazel Trice Edney discussed the aftermath of Sherman’s rant and asked a critical question: Can Black men express themselves without being called the n-word or a thug?

“You’re not free to be yourself,” said Edney. “You’re not free to express yourself because out there somebody somewhere is going to judge your temperament and say, ‘Okay, that’s the N-word part of him.’ Every opportunity to denigrate the Black man, that’s what’s going on out there.”